A New Jersey assemblywoman and her husband are being investigated by the state attorney general's office for claims they made to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild their shore home after Hurricane Sandy.
Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union) has only released a brief statement saying she and her husband Richard have run into "outstanding issues" in their effort to rebuild in Manasquan, about five blocks from the beach.
But Coastal Habitat for Humanity on Monday released a statement that their proposed replacement house was twice the size of what its guidelines allow: five bedrooms versus two or three, an extra two bathrooms, as well as an elevator.
Coastal Habitat then said it "refused to allow itself to be taken advantage of" and immediately withdrew from the project.
Sources told NBC 4 New York that the state is investigating claims that the bungalow was her husband's primary home, but not hers, and that in his application, he did not mention his wife or her income, even though the form asks for information on everyone in a household.
Union County Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Green said he finds the claims disturbing.
Green said Stender told him she had no involvement whatsoever in the application, even though Coastal Habitat said she attended a meeting last August to go over, and ultimately reject, their plans for a 2,200-square foot home to replace their 640-square foot bungalow.
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Green, who said he would like to give her the benefit of the doubt, also said, "The day she's drawn into it, she's fair game," suggesting she would have to resign if found of wrongdoing.
